THE INTERNATIONAL - International Indian

[ ROOTS ]
Life lessons through
tough times
“The reason I share these experiences is because I believe that there are many
teenagers who face similar situations. No one is perfect.”
[By PRiya PhiliP MaThEWS ]
When someone asks you who are
you, how would you respond?
I’m Priya Philip Mathews,
Indian National. I’m a student of Bachelors’
Degree in Business Administration, studying
in Troy University, Sharjah Campus.
Where are you from?
I’m from India. I lived and studied at
Bangalore at boarding school, from the age
of 6 to 16.
Where do you feel you belong?
Though born in UAE and brought up
in India, I truly feel I belong with my
parents, wherever it may be. They are the
source of my existence and they need me
as much as I need them. Nonetheless,
I do miss India and its colourful
traditions and lifestyle, which has always
brightened every corner of my heart. Yet
I can adapt to any kind of environment.
How would you define your roots?
My foundation and support comes from my
family - parents and brother. Being away
from them for so many years has been quite
difficult for me and I missed them a lot. But
those years of my stay in India has actually
taught me many facts and realities of life. I
faced many hardships during my school days,
but it helped me to grow stronger and bolder;
and my moral values, discipline came from
both family and school. I discovered many
skills and talents that I wasn’t aware of.
Your attitudes on the world and life -
where do you get that from?
Priya Philip Mathews: Those years in India taught me
many facts and realities of life
My attitudes evolve through my life
experiences. Let me share with you a short
story of my life experience back in India
which has shaped some of my attitudes
today. I was sent to India because my parents
believed the education there was better and
I would have opportunity to relate to people
of the same origin and receive an upbringing
as that of an Indian child. I was a bright
student during my primary school level and
was pretty much liked by all my teachers.
But as I entered my middle and high school
level, my teenage years, I began to become
weak in my academics. It was quite shocking
for my family and former teachers; and I
was very upset about what was going on.
A couple of years went by and most of my
teachers had given up on me and some even
taunted me about how stupid I was. That
was when I really felt the absence of family
support, love and care. I was often quite
depressed but never told this to my parents
because I didn’t want to worry them. My
parents are very hard working people who
are both in jobs. Mom somehow managed to
pay short visits to India, once in six months
to check on me. One visit which had a strong
impact was when she came during my 10th
grade, few months before my boards. My
brother had also come along with her. My
teachers complained about my scores, and
the rest on my activities and I still remember
the look on their faces. I would never want to
relive such a day where I had to see tears of
sadness in my loved ones’ eyes. I broke down
and felt ashamed of myself.
What helped you deal with this stress
and pressure in your life that many
young people face?
The next day they had to leave and just
before they did, mom offered to come and
be with me for a month during the board
exams. That was what I needed - that boost
of confidence and encouragement from my
family, and their trust in me was so vital to
me then. I did my best in the exams and made
them proud. From then on, I did fairly well
in my courses, and many teachers including
the principal, supported me and I was able to
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